Democratic caucus at UMC draws hundreds
Hundreds of CU students got their first taste of politics in action at the Democratic caucus Tuesday night at the UMC.
The caucus, part of a series of national primaries and caucuses that took place in 24 states on “Super Tuesday,” drew high numbers of students, most of whom had never caucused before.
Many students said they were excited to be able to participate in the political process.
“I liked it, it went really well,” said Matt Beale, a freshman integrative physiology major who caucused for Obama.
Beale was blunt and forthcoming about why he chose Obama over Clinton.
“Because I don’t like Hillary,” Beale said. “Her healthcare system laid off my mom in 1996.”
Beale added that if Clinton received the nomination, he would rather vote for the Republican presidential candidate than support her.
According to the Boulder County Democrats, Sen. Barack Obama won 73 percent of the Democratic vote with 13,100 votes. Sen. Hillary Clinton won 25% of the vote with 4,426 votes.
According to MSNBC.com, Obama won 67percent of the vote with 79,344 votes overall in Colorado. Clinton won 32 percent of the vote with 38,587 votes.
Tom Erickson, a sophomore political science major who caucused for Clinton, read up on how to caucus online before going to campus. He said it helped make the process easier.
“It was a lot less complicated than I thought,” Erickson said.
Erickson said he was supporting Clinton because of her stance on illegal immigration.
“I thought her attitude towards illegal immigrants was better,” he said. “She favors naturalization over kicking them out and making them learn English.”
Erickson added that he would support Obama if he is the Democratic nominee.
“I looked at Romney and McCain, it’s not even a competition,” he said. “I favored Hillary over Obama.”
Kelly Davies, an freshman open-option major, said he was supporting Obama because of his persona of openness and unity.
“He seems inclusive, wanting to bring people together,” Davies said. “He’s open minded, not constricted.”
Davies jokingly added that Obama had a physical edge over Clinton.
“He’s pretty,” she said.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Rob Ryan at rryan@colorado.edu.
